Bogormen

Title: Chef's Kiss
Author: T.J. Alexander
Genre: Chick-lit, LGBTQA+
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 308
Date read: September, 2023

Simone Larkspur is a perfectionist pastry expert with a dream job at The Discerning Chef, a venerable cookbook publisher in New York City. All she wants to do is create the perfect loaf of sourdough and develop recipes, but when The Discerning Chef decides to bring their brand into the 21st century by pivoting to video, Simone is thrust into the spotlight and finds herself failing at something for the first time in her life.

To make matters worse, Simone has to deal with Ray Lyton, the new test kitchen manager, whose obnoxious cheer and outgoing personality are like oil to Simone’s water. When Ray accidentally becomes a viral YouTube sensation with a series of homebrewing videos, their eccentric editor in chief forces Simone to work alongside the chipper upstart or else risk her beloved job. But the more they work together, the more Simone realizes her heart may be softening like butter for Ray.

Things get even more complicated when Ray comes out at work as nonbinary to mixed reactions—and Simone must choose between the career she fought so hard for and the person who just might take the cake (and her heart).


Really sweet book. It came highly recommended by a friend whose tastes I trust, so I was already inclined to love it and it did not disappoint.

I really enjoyed seeing how Simone and Ray's friendship evolved, and how Ray got Simone to open up in other areas of her life as well. I loved the cooking aspect and only wish it had taken up a bigger part of the book than it had.

The transphobia annoyed me - but it was supposed to. I just wish we had seen more of a comeuppance to the people involved, but I guess it's more realistic this way. I thought Simone's reactions to both Luna and Ray seemed realistic - not perfect, sometimes making it more about her than it needed to be, but she tried her best, and worked on improving herself when she failed.

I'll definitely check out more of this author!

Title: The First to Die at the End
Author: Adam Silvera
Genre: YA
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook ~10hrs
Date read: September 2023

It’s the night before Death-Cast goes live, and there’s one question on everyone’s mind: Can Death-Cast actually predict when someone will die, or is it just an elaborate hoax?

Orion Pagan has waited years for someone to tell him that he’s going to die. He has a serious heart condition, and he signed up for Death-Cast so he could know what’s coming.

Valentino Prince is restarting his life in New York. He has a long and promising future ahead and he only registered for Death-Cast after his twin sister nearly died in a car accident.

Orion and Valentino cross paths in Times Square and immediately feel a deep connection. But when the first round of End Day calls goes out, their lives are changed forever—one of them receives a call, and the other doesn’t. Though neither boy is certain how the day will end, they know they want to spend it together…even if that means their goodbye will be heartbreaking.


Better than the first one (or the second one, I guess... since this is a prequel). I just liked Orion and Valentino a lot more than I did Mateo and Rufus, and enjoyed the plot more too. Loved how it took us through a lot of New York and reminded me of places I'd been myself. And the relationship between Orion and Valentino really worked for me - it seemed believable and natural.

I still wish we'd gotten to hear more about how Death Cast works - including what was in that secret vault, and how the kinks got worked out. I do understand why Adam Silvera decided to gloss over that though - it would have made for a completely different story! - but a story I would love to read, eventually.

Title: Caszandra (Touchstone #3)
Author: Andrea K. Höst
Genre: Sci-fi
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 357
Date read: March 2016, March 2017, March 2019, March 2021, September 2023

Cassandra Devlin doesn't know what she's for. But she knows she's running out of time.

Since Cass was rescued from the abandoned world of Muina, the Aussie teen has proven more than useful to the people of Tare. Expeditions to their home world no longer end in slaughter. The teaching city of Kalasa has been unlocked. After years of searching for answers, they are starting to make progress.

But space is tearing itself apart. Ionoth attack in ever-greater numbers. And "the useful stray" has been injured so many times that the Tarens hesitate to use her for fear of losing her.

With one particular Taren now her most important person, Cass is determined to contribute everything she can - and hopes to find some answers of her own. What is the link between Muina and Earth? Why are the reclusive Nurans so interested in 'rescuing' her? And what role in the crisis do the inhuman Cruzatch play?


Very satisfying ending to the trilogy (although I am glad there is a "Gratuitous Epilogue" as well!). I did think the whole Powerstone issue was solved surprisingly fast, and there are a lot of unanswered questions about those and the Cruzatch still, but I'm hoping some of those answers will be given in the epilogue. I also want to know more about Cass' family.

I loved the addition of Sen, Ys and Rye and how Sen 'adopted' Cass, without her really having much say in the matter. I liked that there was a lot of character development in this book - not just for Cass, but also for those around her. I felt like I got to know the other Sentari a lot better.

Really brilliant book I couldn't put down and finished over a weekend... quite a change from book 2 which took me 4 months!

(I did get annoyed with Andrea Höst using 'smex' for 'sex' though. I mean, really?! )

Title: Stray (Touchstone #1)
Author: Andrea K. Höst
Genre: Sci-fi
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 273
Date read: October 2015, March 2017, March 2019, February 2021, September 2023

On her last day of high school, Cassandra Devlin walked out of exams and into a forest. Surrounded by the wrong sort of trees, and animals never featured in any nature documentary, Cass is only sure of one thing: alone, she will be lucky to survive.

The sprawl of abandoned blockish buildings Cass discovers offers her only more puzzles. Where are the people? What is the intoxicating mist which drifts off the buildings in the moonlight? And why does she feel like she's being watched?

Increasingly unnerved, Cass is overjoyed at the arrival of the formidable Setari. Whisked to a world as technologically advanced as the first was primitive, where nanotech computers are grown inside people's skulls, and few have any interest in venturing outside the enormous whitestone cities, Cass finds herself processed as a 'stray', a refugee displaced by the gates torn between worlds. Struggling with an unfamiliar language and culture, she must adapt to virtual classrooms, friends who can teleport, and the ingrained attitude that strays are backward and slow.

Can Cass ever find her way home? And after the people of her new world discover her unexpected value, will they be willing to let her leave?


I've wanted to read this for ages - pretty much ever since I read and loved "And All The Stars" which I picked up 3 years ago.

Fortunately it completely lived up to my expectations. I loved the world building and how the entire universe was set up. I adored reading about Cass' struggles with learning the language, and even found myself thinking in her disjointed sentences at times. I enjoyed seeing the friendships grow despite Cass being a 'Stray' and was totally fascinated by her coping mechanisms.

It's the first book in a series, so there's no real resolution. On the other hand, there's no real cliff-hanger either, so I thought the book nicely contained, even if the main arc wasn't resolved.

But still - with a 4.5 star rating, you can bet I logged on to Amazon right away to get hold of the rest of the series!